康菲石油高管在ONS会议称北极钻探'不可避免'，Willow项目约50%完工

Drilling for more oil and gas in Arctic regions is "inevitable" despite criticism of exploring in harsh northern environments, ConocoPhillips' (COP) head of global operations said Tuesday at the ONS conference in Norway, according to UpstreamOnline.com.
Asked for his views on whether there will be more Arctic activity in the next 10 years, "We think it is inevitable," Kirk Johnson said. "Activity is going to move north. We're seeing it certainly in resource development and chasing new opportunities."
Discussing Norway, "For us, it becomes an inevitability when we think about Norway and the continued opportunity to expand to the north and find new opportunities, new developments," Johnson said.
Norway's Minister of Energy Terje Aasland told Reuters this week that the country will continue to develop resources in the Barents Sea, despite the European Union's support for a moratorium on Arctic hydrocarbon supplies.
Despite the high cost of Arctic exploration, "Our view is it's prospect rich," Johnson said. "Alaska is a great example, and the fact that yes, it's high cost, it’s not dissimilar or different from Norway, but there's a strong expectation between state and industry to make it work, to make it profitable and beneficial. And we see that in both places."
Johnson also said moving into new areas around the world can sometimes cause fewer problems than expanding at home due to regulatory and other processes, noting the development of Alaska's Willow project is ~50% complete and that the time from exploration and appraisal to development could take up to 15 years.